Wire strand attachment clip

ABSTRACT

A wire strand attachment clip including a wire catch that defines a wire strand receiving and holding area configured to receive a wire strand, and a plurality of attachment arms connected to and extending from the wire catch that are dimensionally and biasingly configured to be positioned on a support post to attach the wire strand to that support post such that the attachment arms engage multiple surfaces of the support post.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/034,183, filed Jun. 3, 2020, and of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/172,399, filed Apr. 8, 2021, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Various widely used fences (such as boundary fences, farm fences, andlivestock boundary fences) have incorporated a series of wire strands(such as an electrically conductive metal single wire, barbed wire, orother wire with multiple strands) attached to a series of metal supportposts that are each secured in the ground. The metal support postsfrequently used for such fences include a ground securing mechanismconnected to an elongated stem. The elongated stem extends upwardly(typically vertically) from the ground securing mechanism. The elongatedstem typically has a T-shaped cross-section and typically hasspaced-apart alignment guides that are sometimes employed to maintainthe spacing of wire strands that form the fence. In various knownfences, each of the wire strands are secured to each of the metal postsby a wire strand attachment device. Various known wire strand attachmentdevices have been employed. For example, one such known wire strandattachment device includes a short length of attachment wire that has afirst end wrapped around the wire strand, a middle section passed aroundthe metal support post, and a second end wrapped around the wire strandto hold the wire strand to the metal support post. To attain a tightlystretched and secured fence when using the this wire strand attacheddevice, it is often necessary to employ a tool such as a wire puller intandem. This is a time-consuming and cumbersome task, especially in viewof the large quantity of such wire strand attachment devices that areneeded to build a typical large boundary fence. While various other wirestrand attachment devices have been proposed and employed to solve thisproblem, there is a continuing need for improved wire strand attachmentdevices that can be quickly, easily, and cost effectively employed toattach wire strands to support posts.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wire strandattachment clip that can be quickly, easily, and cost effectively usedto attach a wire strand to a support post such as a barbed and/orelectrically conductive metal wire strand to a T-shaped metal supportpost. In various embodiments, a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips of the present disclosure can be quickly, easily, and costeffectively used to attach a plurality of wire strands to a plurality ofsupport posts to build a fence. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the wire strand attachment clip includes a wire catch, afirst attachment arm connected to and extending from the wire catch, anda second attachment arm connected to and extending from the wire catch.Generally, the wire catch, the first attachment arm, and the secondattachment arm are dimensionally and biasingly configured to bepositioned on a T-shaped support post to attach a wire strand to thatT-shaped support post, and particularly such that the wire catch and/orthe attachment arms engage(s) spaced apart rear or side surfaces of theT-shaped support post, such that the first and second attachment armsengage spaced apart front surfaces of the T-shaped support post, andsuch that the wire catch engages and holds the wire strand to theT-shaped support post.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure willbe apparent from the following detailed disclosure and accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of an exampleboundary fence including a plurality of example vertically spaced apartT-shaped support posts and a plurality of example horizontally spacedapart wire strands attached to the plurality of spaced apart T-shapedsupport posts by a plurality of wire strand attachment clips of oneexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of oneof the T-shaped support posts and one of the wire strands attached tothe T-shaped support post of the boundary fence of FIG. 1, and showingone of the wire strand attachment clips of FIG. 1 attaching that wirestrand to that T-shaped support post.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire strand attachmentclip of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged rear view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wirestrand, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped supportpost of FIG. 2 prior to the attachment of the wire strand attachmentclip to the T-shaped support post.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wirestrand, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped supportpost of FIG. 2 as the wire strand attachment clip is being attached tothe T-shaped support post, showing the engagement of the arms of thewire strand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post during anattachment process, and showing the opening of the arms of the wirestrand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post during theattachment process.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIGS. 1 and 2, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wirestrand, and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped supportpost of FIG. 2 after the attachment process, showing the engagement ofthe wire strand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post after theattachment process, and showing the engagement of the wire strandattachment clip with the wire strand after the attachment process.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of oneof the T-shaped support posts and one of the wire strands attached tothe T-shaped support post of another example boundary fence, and showinganother example wire strand attachment clip of the present disclosureattaching that wire strand to that T-shaped support post.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire strand attachmentclip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged rear view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged front view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged first side view of the wire strand attachmentclip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged second side view of the wire strand attachmentclip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wire strand,and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped support post ofFIG. 10 prior to the attachment of the wire strand attachment clip tothe T-shaped support post.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wire strand,and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped support post ofFIG. 10 as the wire strand attachment clip is being attached to theT-shaped support post, showing the engagement of the arms of the wirestrand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post during theattachment process, and showing the opening of the arms of the wirestrand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post during theattachment process.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged top view of the wire strand attachment clip ofFIG. 10, an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the wire strand,and an enlarged cross-sectional view of the T-shaped support post ofFIG. 10 after the attachment process, showing the engagement of the wirestrand attachment clip with the T-shaped support post after theattachment process, and showing the engagement of the wire strandattachment clip with the wire strand after the attachment process.

FIG. 20 is a top view of a wire strand attachment clip of anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG.20.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIG. 20.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a wire strand attachment clip ofanother example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a front view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is an end view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 24.

FIG. 27 is a top view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 24.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIG. 24.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a wire strand attachment clip ofanother example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is a front view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is an end view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a top view of the wire strand attachment clip of FIG. 29.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIG. 29.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a wire strand attachment clip ofanother example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of a collated group of a plurality of thewire strand attachment clips of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is a front view of a wire strand attachment clip of anotherexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the systems, devices, and methods described herein may be embodiedin various forms, the drawings show and the specification describescertain exemplary and non-limiting embodiments. Not all components shownin the drawings and described in the specification may be required, andcertain implementations may include additional, different, or fewercomponents. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components;the shapes, sizes, and materials of the components; and the manners ofconnections of the components may be made without departing from thespirit or scope of the claims. Unless otherwise indicated, anydirections referred to in the specification reflect the orientations ofthe components shown in the corresponding drawings and do not limit thescope of the present disclosure. Further, terms that refer to mountingmethods, such as mounted, connected, etc., are not intended to belimited to direct mounting methods but should be interpreted broadly toinclude indirect and operably mounted, connected, and like mountingmethods. This specification is intended to be taken as a whole andinterpreted in accordance with the principles of the present disclosureand as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIGS. 1 to 9 illustrate one example embodiment of a wire strandattachment clip of the present disclosure that is generally indicated bynumeral 100 (and that may be sometimes referred to herein as a “clip”for brevity). FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9 generally show how a plurality ofthe illustrated example wire strand attachment clips 100 attach aplurality of example horizontally spaced apart wire strands 40, 50, 60,and 70, to a plurality of example T-shaped support posts 20 and 30 toform part of an example boundary fence 10, as further discussed below.It should be appreciated that the wire strand attachment clip 100 of thepresent disclosure can be employed with different wire strands anddifferent support posts in accordance with the present disclosure. Asbest shown in FIGS. 2 to 9, the illustrated example wire strandattachment clip 100 includes: (1) a wire catch 110; (2) a firstattachment arm 140 connected to and extending from the wire catch 110;and (3) a second attachment arm 170 connected to and extending from thewire catch 110. Generally, the wire catch 110, the first attachment arm140, and the second attachment arm 170 are dimensionally and biasinglyconfigured to snap onto a T-shaped support post (such as post 20) toattach a wire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shaped support post20, and particularly such that the wire catch 110 and/or the attachmentsarms 140 and 170 engage(s) spaced apart rear or side surfaces of theT-shaped support post 20, such that the first and second attachment arms140 and 170 engage spaced apart front surfaces of the T-shaped supportpost 20, and such that the wire catch 110 can engage and hold the wirestrand 40 to the T-shaped support post 20, as further described below.In this illustrated example embodiment, the wire strand attachment clip100 is formed (and particularly bent) into its shape from a solidstraight cylindrical metal (and particularly steel such as a carbonspring steel) wire having about a 0.124 inch to about a 0.138 inch(about a 3.15 mm to about a 3.5 mm) outer diameter and a suitablelength. It should be appreciated that the wire strand attachment clip100 can be formed from other suitable materials and formed from otherwires having other suitable outer diameters and lengths. The wire strandattachment clip 100 is formed such that the wire catch 110, the firstattachment arm 140, and the second attachment arm 170 each have adesired amount of flexibility or bendability relative to each other, anda reasonably strong bias back toward their respective original positionsrelative to one another, as further described below.

More specifically, the illustrated example wire catch 110 includes: (1)a rear wire engager 114; (2) a first connector 116 connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a first end of the rear wireengager 114; (3) a first side wire engager 118 connected to andextending forwardly from the first connector 116 and from the first endof the rear wire engager 114; (4) a second connector 120 connected toand extending forwardly and outwardly from a second end of the rear wireengager 114; (5) a second side wire engager 122 connected to andextending forwardly from the second connector 120 and the second end ofthe rear wire engager 114; (6) a third connector 124 connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a front end of the first sidewire engager 118; (7) a first side post engager 126 connected to andextending outwardly from the third connector 124 and from the front endof the first side wire engager 118; (8) a fourth connector 128 connectedto and extending forwardly and outwardly from a front end of the secondside wire engager 122; and (9) a second side post engager 130 connectedto and extending outwardly from the fourth connector 128 and from thefront end of the second side wire engager 122. The rear wire engager114, the first connector 116, the first side wire engager 118, thesecond connector 120, the second side wire engager 122, the thirdconnector 124, and the fourth connector 128 define a wire strandreceiving and holding area 112 that receives the wire strand and alsoallows for certain movements of the wire strand in the wire strandreceiving and holding area 112. When the wire catch 110, the firstattachment arm 140, and the second attachment arm 170 are snapped onto aT-shaped support post (such as post 20) to attach a wire strand (such asstrand 40) to that T-shaped support post 20, the first side post engager126 and the second side post engager 130 are configured to, in certaininstances, securely engage spaced apart rear surfaces of the T-shapedsupport post 20 to provide a secure attachment of the wire strandattachment clip 100 to the T-shaped support post 20 and to prevent thewire strand 40 from exiting the wire strand receiving and holding area112.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first connector 116, thesecond connector 120, the third connector 124, and the fourth connector128 are each curved sections formed from the solid cylindrical metalwire employed to form the wire strand attachment clip 100. It should beappreciated that one or more of these connectors can be otherwisesuitably formed in accordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the rear wire engager 114, thefirst side wire engager 118, the second side wire engager 122, the firstside post engager 126, and the second side post engager 130 are eachstraight sections formed from the solid cylindrical metal employed toform the wire strand attachment clip 100. It should be appreciated thatone or more of these engagers can be otherwise suitably formed inaccordance with the present disclosure. It should also be appreciatedthat two or more of each respective pair of connectors and engagers canbe combined in accordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first connector 116, thefirst side wire engager 118, the third connector 124, and the first sidewire engager 118 are symmetrical to the second connector 120, the secondside wire engager 122, the fourth connector 128, and the second sidepost engager 130 with respect to the rear wire engager 114. It should beappreciated that such connectors and engagers can be non-symmetrical inaccordance with the present disclosure. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the first connector 116, the first side wire engager 118,the third connector 124, and the first side wire engager 118 have thesame respective dimensions as the second connector 120, the second sidewire engager 122, the fourth connector 128, and the second side postengager 130 with respect to the rear wire engager 114. It should beappreciated that such respective connectors and engagers can havedifferent dimension in accordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, (1) the first side wire engager118 extends at about a 89 to 95 degree angle (labeled A1) from the rearwire engager 114; (2) the second side wire engager 122 extends at abouta 89 to 95 degree angle (labeled A2) from the rear wire engager 114; (3)the first side post engager 126 extends at about a 85 to 90 degree angle(labeled B1) from the first side wire engager 118; and (4) the secondside post engager 130 extends at about a 85 to 90 degree angle (labeledB2) from the second side wire engager 118. It should be appreciated thatone or more of such angles may vary in accordance with the presentdisclosure. In various example embodiments of the present disclosure,(1) angle A1 may be in the range of about 89 degrees to about 95degrees; (2) angle A2 may be in the range of about 89 degrees to about95 degrees; (3) angle B1 may be in the range of about 85 degrees toabout 90 degrees; and (4) angle B2 may be in the range of about 85degrees to about 90 degrees.

The illustrated example first attachment arm 140 includes: (1) a firstarm shoulder 141 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardlyfrom the first side post engager 126; (2) a first upper arm 142connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the first armshoulder 141 and from the first side post engager 126; (3) a first elbow144 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly from thefirst upper arm 142; (4) a first forearm 148 connected to and extendingoutwardly and forwardly from the first elbow 144; (5) a first wrist 150connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from the firstforearm 148 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward the first armshoulder 141 and the rear wire engager 114; and (6) a first postengagement hand 152 connected to and extending inwardly and rearwardlyfrom first wrist 150 toward the first arm shoulder 141 and the rear wireengager 114.

The illustrated example second attachment arm 170 includes: (1) a secondarm shoulder 171 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardlyfrom the second side post engager 130; (2) a second upper arm 172connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the second armshoulder 171 and from the second side post engager 130; (3) a secondelbow 174 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe second upper arm 172; (4) a second forearm 178 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the second elbow 174; (5) asecond wrist 180 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly fromthe second forearm 178 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward thesecond arm shoulder 171 and the rear wire engager 114; and (6) a secondpost engagement hand 182 connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from the second wrist 180 toward the second arm shoulder 171and the rear wire engager 114.

When the wire catch 110, the first attachment arm 140, and the secondattachment arm 170 are snapped onto a T-shaped support post (such aspost 20) to attach a wire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shapedsupport post 20, the first arm shoulder 141, the first post engagementhand 152, the first arm shoulder 171, and the second post engagementhand 182 are configured to securely engage spaced apart front surfacesof the T-shaped support post 20 to provide a secure attachment of thewire strand attachment clip 100 to the T-shaped support post 20 and toprevent the wire strand 40 from exiting the wire strand receiving andholding area 112, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 9.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first arm shoulder 141, thefirst elbow 144, the first wrist 150, the second arm shoulder 171, thesecond elbow 174, and the second wrist 180 are each formed as curvedsections from the solid cylindrical metal employed to form the wirestrand attachment clip 100. It should be appreciated that one or more ofthese shoulders, elbows, and wrists can be otherwise suitably formed inaccordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first upper arm 142, thefirst forearm 148, the first post engagement hand 152, the second upperarm 172, the second forearm 178, and the second post engagement hand 182are each formed as straight sections of the solid cylindrical metalemployed to form the wire strand attachment clip 100. It should beappreciated that one or more of these sections can be otherwise suitablyformed in accordance with the present disclosure. It should also beappreciated that two or more of each respective pair of shoulders,elbows, wrists, upper arms, forearms, and hands can be combined inaccordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first attachment arm 140 andthe second attachment arm 170 (including the respective shoulders,elbows, wrists, upper arms, forearms, and hands) are symmetricalrelative to each other and with respect to the wire strand catch 110. Itshould be appreciated that such components can be non-symmetrical inaccordance with the present disclosure. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm170 are of the same dimensions, and specifically the respectiveshoulders 141 and 171, elbows 144 and 174, wrists 150 and 180, upperarms 142 and 172, forearms 148 and 178 , and hands 152 and 182 have thesame respective dimensions. It should be appreciated that suchcomponents can have different dimensions in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, (1) the first upper arm 142extends at about a 112 degree angle (labeled C1) from the first sidepost engager 126; (2) the first forearm 148 extends at about a 34 degreeangle (labeled D1) from the first upper arm 142; (3) the first hand 152extends at a 180 degree angle (labeled E1) from the first forearm 148;(4) the second upper arm 172 extends at about a 112 degree angle(labeled C2) from the second side post engager 130; (5) the secondforearm 178 extends at about a 34 degree angle (labeled D2) from thesecond upper arm 172; and (6) the second hand 182 extends at about a 180degree angle (labeled E2) from the second forearm 178. It should beappreciated that one or more of such angle may vary in accordance withthe present disclosure. In various example embodiments of the presentdisclosure, (1) angle C1 may be in the range of about 110 degrees toabout 125 degrees; (2) angle C2 may be in the range of about 110 degreesto about 125 degrees; (3) angle D1 may be in the range of about 30degrees to about 36 degrees; (4) angle D2 may be in the range of about30 degrees to about 36 degrees; (5) angle E1 may be in the range ofabout 175 degrees to about 185 degrees; and (6) angle E2 may be in therange of about 175 degrees to about 185 degrees.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the wire strand attachment clip 100 andspecifically the wire catch 110, the first attachment arm 140, and thesecond attachment arm 170 are configured to snap onto a T-shaped supportpost 20 to attach a wire strand 40 to that T-shaped support post 20. Inthis illustrated example, the wire strand 40 is a barbed wire strand. Inthis illustrated example, the T-shaped support post 20 includes: (1) anelongated core 21; (2) an elongated front leg 22 connected to andextending from the front of the elongated core 21; (3) an elongatedfirst side leg 24 connected to and extending from a first side of theelongated core 21; and (4) an elongated second side leg 26 connected toand extending from an opposite second side of the front of the elongatedcore 21. The elongated first side leg 24 includes: (a) a curved(concave) rear surface 24 a; (b) a curved (convex) front surface 24 b;and (c) a curved (convex) side surface 24 c connecting the rear surface24 a and the front surface 24 b. The elongated second side leg 26includes: (a) a curved (concave) rear surface 26 a; (b) a curved(convex) front surface 26 b; and (3) a curved (convex) side surface 26 cconnecting the rear surface 26 a and the front surface 26 b.

More specifically, FIG. 7 shows the positions of the wire strandattachment clip 100 and specifically the wire catch 110, the firstattachment arm 140, and the second attachment arm 170 relative to, butbefore being attached to, the T-shaped support post 20 and beforeattaching the wire strand 40 to the T-shaped support post 20. At thispoint in the attachment process, the wire strand attachment clip 100 ispositioned relative to the T-shaped support post 20. Specifically, (1)the wire catch 110 is aligned with the wire strand 40 such that the wirestrand 40 can be positioned in the wire strand receiving area 112; (2)the first attachment arm 140 is aligned with the first side leg 24 suchthat the hand 152 is aligned to engage the curved side surface 24 c ofthe first side leg 24 of the T-shaped support post 20; and (3) thesecond attachment arm 170 is aligned with the second side leg 26 suchthat the hand 182 is aligned to engage the curved side surface 26 c ofthe second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20. It should beappreciated that the wire strand attachment clip 100 is configured to beangled relative to the T-shaped support post 20 (such as shown in FIG.2) such that the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm170 are positioned at different heights (i.e., one is higher than theother) to account for the correct positioning of the wire strand 40 inthe wire strand receiving area 112.

FIG. 8 shows the position of the wire strand attachment clip 100 andspecifically the wire catch 110, the first attachment arm 140, and thesecond attachment arm 170 during the attachment process relative to theT-shaped support post 20. At this point in the attachment process, thewire strand attachment clip 100 is positioned in engagement with theT-shaped support post 20. Specifically, (1) the wire catch 110 isaligned with the wire strand 40 such that the wire strand 40 is in thewire strand receiving area 112; (2) the first attachment arm 140 isengaging the first side leg 24 such that the hand 152 is engaging thecurved side surface 24 c of the first side leg 24 of the T-shapedsupport post 20; and (3) the second attachment arm 170 is engaging thesecond side leg 26 such that the hand 182 is engaging the curved sidesurface 26 c of the second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20.The combination of the engagement of: (1) the hand 152 with the curvedside surface 24 c of the elongated first side leg 24 of the T-shapedsupport post 20; and (2) the hand 182 with the curved side surface 26 cof the elongated second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20,causes the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm 170 toopen wider (with respect to each other) against their respective naturalpositions. It should be appreciated that each of the curved connectors116, 120, 124, and 128, each of the curved shoulders 141 and 171, andeach of the curved elbows 144 and 174 facilitate this opening of thefirst attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm 170. It shouldalso be appreciated that the amount of opening of the first attachmentarm 140 and the second attachment arm 170 varies based on the points ofengagements with the curved side surfaces 24 c and 26 c of the T-shapedsupport post 20. The maximum amount of opening is shown in FIG. 8, wherethe outer corner edges 152 a and 182 a of the hands 152 and 182 engagethe outermost points of the curved side surfaces 24 c and 26 c of theT-shaped support post 20. It should also be appreciated that the amountof opening of the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm170 may vary based on the angle of the attachment arms 140 and 170relative to the T-shaped support post 20 (i.e., based on the respectivedifferent heights of the attachment arms 140 and 170).

FIG. 9 shows the position of the wire strand attachment clip 100 andspecifically the wire catch 110, the first attachment arm 140, and thesecond attachment arm 170 after being attached to the T-shaped supportpost 20 and attaching the wire strand 40 to the T-shaped support post20. At this point in the attachment process, the wire strand attachmentclip 100 is positioned on and securely attached to the T-shaped supportpost 20. Specifically, (1) the wire strand 40 is in the wire strandreceiving area 112; (2) the first attachment arm 140 is securelyengaging the first side leg 24; and (3) the second attachment arm 170 issecurely engaging the second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post20. The combination of these engagements includes: (1) the end surface152 b of the hand 152 engaging the curved front surface 24 b of thefirst side leg 24 of the T-shaped support post 20; (2) the side postengager 126 and/or the shoulder 141 engaging the rear surface 24 a ofthe elongated first side leg 24 of the T-shaped support post 20; (3) theend surface 182 b of the hand 182 engaging the curved side surface 26 bof the elongated second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20; and(4) the side post engager 130 and/or the shoulder 172 engaging the rearsurface 26 a of the second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20.

At this point, the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachmentarm 170 are attached to the T-shaped support post 20 under a slightoutward bias and remain outwardly biased during such attachment (i.e.,they have not returned to their natural or resting positions). In thisembodiment, the amount of the bias may depend on the angle of theengagement with the T-shaped support post 20. In alternativeembodiments, at this point, the first attachment arm 140 and the secondattachment arm 170 can return to their natural positions. The amount ofthe bias may depend on a combination of the resiliency of the materialused to form the clip 100 and the respective bends and angles of theclip 100. The combination of these multiple engagements facilitate thesecure attachment of the clip 100 and the wire strand 40 to the T-shapedsupport post 20. It should also be appreciated that the relativepositions of the first attachment arm 140 and the second attachment arm170 may vary based on the angle of the attachment arms 140 and 170relative to the T-shaped support post 20 (i.e., based on the respectivedifferent heights of the attachment arms 140 and 170). It should also beappreciated that the inner surfaces of the wire catch 110 will (asneeded) engage and hold the wire strand 40 attached to the T-shapedsupport post 20 even when various forces are placed on the clip 100, theT-shaped support post 20, and/or the wire strand 40. In this exampleembodiment, it is estimated that energy level needed for attaching theclip 100 to a T-shaped support post 20 will be about 8.68 Joules. Thisenergy level will enable manual attachment or attachment using asuitable tool. In this example embodiment, it is estimated that theforce level needed for removal of the clip 100 from a T-shaped supportpost 20 will be about 364 lbs (about 165 kgs).

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 100 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 100 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 100 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 100 that are fedthrough the manual or automatic installation tool. In various suchembodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazine thatholds a plurality of collated group of wire strand attachment clips 100that are fed through the installation tool. The collated wire strandattachment clips may be collated in any suitable manner.

FIG. 3A shows one way in which a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips 100 may be attached and collated in a group such as a group forloading into a magazine attachable or attachable to an installation tool(not shown) such as a powered automatic installation tool (not shown).The example plurality of wire strand attachment clips 100 a, 100 b, 100c, 100 d, 100 e, 100 f, 100 g, and 100 h are positioned bottom side totop side and attached by a plurality of clip attachment members 190,192, and 194. In this illustrated example embodiment, the clipattachment members 190, 192, and 194 are each a section of a suitabletape such as an adhesive backed paper tape. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, (1) the clip attachment member 190 is attached to therespective wire catches and particularly the respective the rear wireengagers of the wire strand attachment clips 100 a, 100 b, 100 c, 100 d,100 e, 100 f, 100 g, and 100 h; (2) the clip attachment member 192 isattached to the respective first attachment arms and particularly therespective first forearms of the wire strand attachment clips 100 a, 100b, 100 c, 100 d, 100 e, 100 f, 100 g, and 100 h; and (3) the clipattachment member 194 is attached to the respective second attachmentarms and particularly the respective second forearms of the wire strandattachment clips 100 a, 100 b, 100 c, 100 d, 100 e, 100 f, 100 g, and100 h. It should be appreciated that: (1) the quantity of wire strandattachment clips 100 in each group; (2) the quantity of clip attachmentmembers; and (3) the placement of the clip attachment members, may allvary in accordance with the present disclosure. It should also beappreciated that the configuration of the wire strand attachment clip100 provides a significant advantage over prior known wire strandattachment devices by providing the ability to be collated such as theability to be collated in a bottom side to top side manner for directlyadjacent clips 100. It should also be appreciated that the configurationof the wire strand attachment clip 100 facilitates attachment by one ormore clip attachment members to one or more respective directly adjacentsections of the directly adjacently positioned clips 100. It should alsobe appreciated that the relatively short height of the wire strandattachment clip 100 also facilitates this collations.

FIGS. 10 to 19 illustrate another example embodiment of a wire strandattachment clip of the present disclosure, generally indicated bynumeral 200 (and also sometimes referred to herein as the “clip” forbrevity). FIGS. 10, 17, 18, and 19 generally show how the illustratedexample wire strand attachment clip 200 attaches a wire strand 40 to anexample T-shaped support post 20 for another example boundary fence (notshown), as further discussed below. The illustrated example wire strandattachment clip 200 includes: (1) a wire catch 210; (2) a firstattachment arm 240 a connected to and extending from the wire catch 210;(3) a second attachment arm 240 b connected to and extending from thewire catch 210; (3) a third attachment arm 270 a connected to andextending from the wire catch 210; and (4) a fourth attachment arm 270 bconnected to and extending from the wire catch 210. Generally, the wirecatch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, the second attachment arm 240b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourth attachment arm 270 bare configured to snap onto a T-shaped support post (such as post 20) toattach a wire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shaped support post20, and particularly such that the first and second attachment arms 240a and 240 b engage spaced apart front and side surfaces of the T-shapedsupport post 20, the third and fourth attachment arms 270 a and 270 bengage spaced apart front and side surfaces of the T-shaped support post20, such that the wire catch 210, the first and second attachment arms240 a and 240 b, and the third and fourth attachment arms 240 a and 240b can engage and hold the wire strand 40, as further described below. Inthis example embodiment, the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm240 a, the second attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a,and the fourth attachment arm 270 b are configured and dimensioned toprovide multiple wire strand receiving areas 212, 242, and 272 asfurther described below. In this illustrated example embodiment, thewire strand attachment clip 200 is formed (and particularly stamped andbent) to form its shape from a solid flat metal such as a steel sheethaving an 0.48 inch (1.210 cm) width, an 2.90 inch (7.366 cm) length,and an 0.060 inch (0.152 cm) thickness. It should be appreciated thatthe wire strand attachment clip 200 can be formed from other suitablematerials, and formed from other sheets having other suitabledimensions. The wire strand attachment clip 200 is formed such that thewire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, the second attachmentarm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourth attachment arm270 b have a desired amount of flexibility or bendability relative toeach other, and a reasonably strong bias back toward their respectiveoriginal positions relative to one another, as further described below.

More specifically, the illustrated example wire catch 210 includes: (1)a rear wire engager 214; (2) a first connector 216 a connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a first end of the rear wireengager 214; (3) a second first connector 216 b connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from the first end of the rear wireengager 214; (4) a third connector 220 a connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a second end of the rear wire engager 214;and (5) a fourth connector 220 b connected to and extending forwardlyand outwardly from the second end of the rear wire engager 214. The rearwire engager 214, the first connector 216 a, the second connector 216 b,the third connector 220 a, and the fourth connector 220 b partiallydefine a first wire strand receiving and holding area 212 that isconfigured to receive and allow for certain movements of the wire strandin the first wire strand receiving and holding area 212. When the wirecatch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, the second attachment arm 240b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourth attachment arm 270 bare snapped onto a T-shaped support post (such as post 20) to attach awire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shaped support post 20, therear wire engager 214, the first connector 216 a, the second connector216 b, the third connector 220 a, and the fourth connector 220 b areconfigured to prevent the wire strand 40 from exiting the wire strandreceiving and holding area 212.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first connector 216 a, thesecond connector 216 b, the third connector 220 a, and the fourthconnector 220 b are each curved sections formed from the solid metalsheet employed to form the wire strand attachment clip 200. It shouldalso be appreciated that one or more of these connectors can beotherwise suitably formed in accordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the rear wire engager 214 is agenerally flat section formed from the solid metal sheet employed toform the wire strand attachment clip 200. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the rear wire engager 214 has a generally hourglass shapedconfiguration, and particularly defines or has concave upper and loweredges. This provides for the overall resiliency of the wire strandattachment clip 200. More specifically, the curved surfaces or surfaceswith each cut radii assist in the flexibility of the material as itflexes around the post to compensate for any material stress in the clip200.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first connector 216 a issymmetrical to the second connector 216 b with respect to the rear wireengager 214. In this illustrated example embodiment, the third connector220 a is symmetrical to the fourth connector 220 b with respect to therear wire engager 214. In this illustrated example embodiment, the firstconnector 216 a, is symmetrical to the third connector 220 a withrespect to the rear wire engager 214. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the second connector 216 b is symmetrical to the fourthconnector 220 b with respect to the rear wire engager 214. In thisillustrated example embodiment, the first connector 216 a and the secondconnector 216 b are symmetrical to the third connector 220 a and thefourth connector 220 b with respect to the rear wire engager 214. Itshould be appreciated that such connectors can be non-symmetrical inaccordance with the present disclosure. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the first connector 216 a, the second connector 216 b, thethird connector 220 a, and the fourth connector 220 b all have the samerespective lengths and widths. It should be appreciated that suchrespective connectors can have different lengths and widths inaccordance with the present disclosure.

The illustrated example first attachment arm 240 a includes: (1) a firstforearm 248 a connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe first connector 216 a; (2) a first wrist 250 a connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the first forearm 248 a and thenrearwardly and inwardly back toward the rear wire engager 214; and (3) afirst post engagement hand 252 a connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from the first wrist 250 a toward the rear wire engager 214.

The illustrated example second attachment arm 240 b includes: (1) asecond forearm 248 b connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardlyfrom the second connector 216 b; (2) a second wrist 250 b connected toand extending outwardly and forwardly from the second forearm 248 b andthen rearwardly and inwardly back toward the rear wire engager 214; and(3) a second post engagement hand 252 b connected to and extendinginwardly and rearwardly from the second wrist 250 b toward the rear wireengager 214.

The illustrated example third attachment arm 270 a includes: (1) a thirdforearm 278 a connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe third connector 226 a; (2) a third wrist 280 a connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the third forearm 278 a and thenrearwardly and inwardly back toward the rear wire engager 214; and (3) athird post engagement hand 282 a connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from the third wrist 280 a toward the rear wire engager 214.

The illustrated example fourth attachment arm 270 b includes: (1) afourth forearm 278 b connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardlyfrom the fourth connector 220 b; (2) a fourth wrist 280 b connected toand extending outwardly and forwardly from the fourth forearm 278 b andthen rearwardly and inwardly back toward the rear wire engager 214; and(3) a fourth post engagement hand 282 b connected to and extendinginwardly and rearwardly from the third wrist 280 b toward the rear wireengager 214.

The rear wire engager 214, the first connector 216 a, the secondconnector 216 b, the first attachment arm 240 a, and the secondattachment arm 240 b partially define the second wire strand receivingand holding area 242 that is configured to receive and allow for certainmovements of the wire strand in the second wire strand receiving andholding area 242.

The rear wire engager 214, the third connector 220 a, the fourthconnector 220 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourthattachment arm 270 b partially define the second wire strand receivingand holding area 272 that is configured to receive and allow for certainmovements of the wire strand in the third wire strand receiving andholding area 272.

When the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, the secondattachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourthattachment arm 270 b are snapped onto a T-shaped support post (such aspost 20) to attach a wire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shapedsupport post 20: (1) the rear wire engager 214, the first connector 216a, the second connector 216 b, the first attachment arm 240 a, and thesecond attachment arm 240 b are configured to prevent the wire strand 40from exiting the second wire strand receiving and holding area 242; and(2) the rear wire engager 214, the third connector 220 a, the fourthconnector 220 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourthattachment arm 270 b are configured to prevent the wire strand 40 fromexiting the third wire strand receiving and holding area 272.

When the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, the secondattachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and the fourthattachment arm 270 b, are snapped onto a T-shaped support post (such aspost 20) to attach a wire strand (such as strand 40) to that T-shapedsupport post 20, the first forearm 248 a, the second forearm 248 b, thethird fourth forearm 278 a, the fourth forearm 278 b, the first postengagement hand 252 a, the second post engagement hand 252 b, the thirdpost engagement hand 282 a, and the fourth post engagement hand 282 bare configured to securely engage spaced apart side surfaces of theT-shaped support post 20 to provide a secure attachment of the wirestrand attachment clip 200 to the T-shaped support post 20 and toprevent the wire strand 40 from exiting the first wire strand receivingand holding area 212, the second wire strand receiving and holding area242, and the third wire strand receiving and holding area 272, as shownin FIGS. 10 and 19.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first wrist 250 a, thesecond wrist 250 b, the third wrist 280 a, and the fourth wrist 280 b,are each curved sections formed from the solid flat metal sheet employedto form the wire strand attachment clip 200. It should be appreciatedthat one or more of these wrists can be otherwise suitably formed inaccordance with the present disclosure. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the first forearm 248 a, the first post engagement hand 252a, the second forearm 248 b, the second post engagement hand 252 b, thethird forearm 278 a, the third post engagement hand 282 a, the fourthforearm 278 b, and the fourth post engagement hand 282 b are eachstraight sections formed from the solid flat metal sheet employed toform the wire strand attachment clip 200. It should be appreciated thatone or more of these sections can be otherwise suitably formed inaccordance with the present disclosure. It should also be appreciatedthat two or more of each respective pair of forearms, wrists, and handscan be combined in accordance with the present disclosure.

In this illustrated example embodiment, the first attachment arm 240 aand the second attachment arm 240 b (including the respective forearms,wrists, and hands) are symmetrical relative to each other and withrespect to the wire strand catch 210. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the third attachment arm 270 a and the fourth attachment arm270 b (including the respective forearms, wrists, and hands) aresymmetrical relative to each other and with respect to the wire strandcatch 210. In this illustrated example embodiment, the first attachmentarm 240 a and the third attachment arm 270 a (including the respectiveforearms, wrists, and hands) are symmetrical relative to each other andwith respect to the wire strand catch 210. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the second attachment arm 240 b and the fourth attachmentarm 270 b (including the respective forearms, wrists, and hands) aresymmetrical relative to each other and with respect to the wire strandcatch 210. In this illustrated example embodiment, the first attachmentarm 240 a and the fourth attachment arm 270 b (including the respectiveforearms, wrists, and hands) are symmetrical relative to each other andwith respect to the wire strand catch 210. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the second attachment arm 240 b and the third attachment arm270 a (including the respective forearms, wrists, and hands) aresymmetrical relative to each other and with respect to the wire strandcatch 210. It should be appreciated that such components can benon-symmetrical in accordance with the present disclosure. In thisillustrated example embodiment, the first attachment arm 240 a, thesecond attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and thefourth attachment arm 270 b, are of the same dimensions, andspecifically the respective forearms, wrists, and hands have the samerespective dimensions. It should be appreciated that such components canhave different dimensions in accordance with the present disclosure. Inthis illustrated example embodiment, (1) the first forearm 248 a extendsat about a 131 degree angle (labeled D1) to the rear wire engager 214;(2) the second forearm 248 b also extends at about a 131 degree angle tothe rear wire engager 214; (3) the third forearm 278 a extends at abouta 131 degree angle (labeled D2) to the rear wire engager 214; and (4)the fourth forearm 278 b also extends at about a 131 degree angle to therear wire engager 214. In this illustrated example embodiment, E1 and E2are both about 180 degrees. It should be appreciated that one or moresuch angles may vary in accordance with the present disclosure and inaccordance with manufacturing tolerances. In various example embodimentsof the present disclosure, (1) angle D1 may be in the range of about 129degrees to about 132 degrees; and (2) angle D2 may be in the range ofabout 129 degrees to about 132 degrees.

As shown in FIGS. 17, 18, and 19, the wire strand attachment clip 200and specifically, the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a,the second attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and thefourth attachment arm 270 b, are configured to snap onto a T-shapedsupport post 20 to attach a wire strand 40 to that T-shaped support post20. In this illustrated example, the wire strand 40 is a barbed wirestrand. In this illustrated example, the T-shaped support post 20includes: (1) an elongated core 21; (2) an elongated front leg 22connected to and extending from the front of the elongated core 21; (3)an elongated first side leg 24 connected to and extending from a firstside of the elongated core 21; and (4) an elongated second side leg 26connected to and extending from a second side of the front of theelongated core 21. The elongated first side leg 24 includes: (a) acurved (concave) rear surface 24 a; (b) a curved (convex) front surface24 b; and (c) a curved (convex) side surface 24 c connecting the rearsurface 24 a and the front surface 24 b. The elongated second side leg26 includes: (a) a curved (concave) rear surface 26 a; (b) a curved(convex) front surface 26 b; and (3) a curved (convex) side surface 26 cconnecting the rear surface 26 a and the front surface 26 b.

More specifically, FIG. 17 shows the position of the wire strandattachment clip 200 and specifically the wire catch 210, the firstattachment arm 240 a, the second attachment arm 240 b, the thirdattachment arm 270 a, and the fourth attachment arm 270 b positionedrelative to but before being attached to the T-shaped support post 20and before attaching the wire strand 40 to the T-shaped support post 20.At this point in the attachment process, the wire strand attachment clip200 is positioned relative to the T-shaped support post 20.Specifically, (1) the wire catch 210 is aligned with the wire strand 40such that the wire strand 40 can be positioned in the wire strandreceiving areas 212, 242, and 272; (2) the first attachment arm 240 aand the second attachment arm 240 b are aligned with the first side leg24 such that the first and second hands 252 a and 252 b are aligned toengage the curved side surface 24 c of the first side leg 24 of theT-shaped support post 20; and (3) the third attachment arm 270 a and thefourth attachment arm 270 b are aligned with the first side leg 24 suchthat the hands 182 a and 182 b are aligned to engage the curved sidesurface 26 c of the second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20.

FIG. 18 shows the position of the wire strand attachment clip 200 andspecifically the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, thesecond attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and thefourth attachment arm 270 b during the attachment process relative tothe T-shaped support post 20. At this point in the attachment process,the wire strand attachment clip 200 is positioned in engagement with theT-shaped support post 20. Specifically, (1) the wire catch 210 isaligned with the wire strand 40 such that the wire strand 40 is in thewire strand receiving area 212; (2) the first attachment arm 240 a isengaging the elongated first side leg 24 such that the hand 252 a isengaging the curved side surface 24 c of the elongated first side leg 24of the T-shaped support post 20; (3) the second attachment arm 240 b isengaging the elongated first side leg 24 such that the hand 252 b isengaging the curved side surface 24 c of the elongated first side leg 24of the T-shaped support post 20; (4) the third attachment arm 270 a isengaging the elongated second side leg 26 such that the hand 282 a isengaging the curved side surface 26 c of the second side leg 26 of theT-shaped support post 20; and (5) the fourth attachment arm 270 b isengaging the elongated second side leg 26 such that the hand 282 b isengaging the curved side surface 26 c of the elongated second side leg26 of the T-shaped support post 20. The combination of the engagementof: (1) the hands 252 a and 252 b with the curved side surface 24 c ofthe elongated first side leg 24 of the T-shaped support post 20; and (2)the hands 282 a and 282 b with the curved side surface 26 c of theelongated second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20, causes thefirst and second attachment arms 240 a and 240 b and the third andfourth attachment arms 270 a and 270 b to open wider against theirnatural position. It should be appreciated that each of the curvedconnectors 216 a, 216 b, 220 a, and 220 b facilitate this opening of thefirst and second attachment arms 240 a and 240 b relative to the thirdand fourth attachment arms 270 a and 270 b. It should be appreciatedthat the amount of opening of the first and second attachment arms 240 aand 240 b relative to the third and fourth attachment arm 270 a and 270b varies based on the points of engagements with the curved sidesurfaces 24 c and 26 c of the T-shaped support post 20. The maximumamount of opening is shown in FIG. 18 where the outer corner edges 252aa, 252 ba, 282 aa, and 282 ba of the hands 252 a, 252 b, 282 a, and 282b engage the outermost points of the curved side surfaces 24 c and 26 cof the T-shaped support post 20.

FIG. 19 shows the position of the wire strand attachment clip 200 andspecifically the wire catch 210, the first attachment arm 240 a, thesecond attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a, and thefourth attachment arm 270 b after being attached to the T-shaped supportpost 20 and attaching the wire strand 40 to the T-shaped support post20. At this point in the attachment process, the wire strand attachmentclip 200 is positioned on and securely attached to the T-shaped supportpost 20. Specifically, (1) the wire strand 40 is in the wire strandreceiving areas 212, 242, and 272; (2) the first attachment arm 240 a issecurely engaging the elongated first side leg 24; (3) the secondattachment arm 240 b is securely engaging the elongated first side leg24; (4) the third attachment arm 270 a is securely engaging theelongated second side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20; and (5)the fourth attachment arm 270 b is securely engaging the elongatedsecond side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20. The combination ofengagements includes: (1) the end surfaces 252 ba and 252 bb of thehands 252 a and 252 b engaging the curved front surface 24 b of thefirst side leg 24 of the T-shaped support post 20; (2) the forearms 248a and 248 b engaging the side surface 24 c of the first side leg 24 ofthe T-shaped support post 20; (3) the end surfaces 282 ba and 282 bb ofthe hands 252 a and 252 b engaging the curved front surface 26 b of thesecond side leg 26 of the T-shaped support post 20; and (4) the forearms278 a and 278 b engaging the side surface 26 c of the second side leg 26of the T-shaped support post 20. At this point, the first attachment arm240 a, the second attachment arm 240 b, the third attachment arm 270 a,and the fourth attachment arm 270 b are attached to the T-shaped supportpost 20 under a slight outward bias and remain outwardly biased duringsuch attachment (i.e., they have not returned to their naturalpositions). In alternative embodiments, at this point, the firstattachment arm 240 a, the second attachment arm 240 b, the thirdattachment arm 270 a, and the fourth attachment arm 270 b can return totheir natural positions. The amount of the bias may depend on acombination of the resiliency of the material used to form the clip 200and the respective angles of the clip 200. The combination of thesemultiple engagements facilitate the secure attachment of the wire strandattachment clip 200 and the wire strand 40 to the T-shaped support post20. It should also be appreciated that the inner surfaces of the wirecatch 210 will, as needed, engage and hold the wire strand 40 attachedto the T-shaped support post 20 even when forces are placed on theT-shaped support post 20 and/or the wire strand 40. In this exampleembodiment, it is estimated that the energy level needed for attachingthe clip 200 to a T-shaped support post 20 will range from about 0.95Joules to about 1.32 Joules. This energy level will enable manualattachment or attachment using a suitable tool as described below. Inthis example embodiment, it is estimated that the force level needed forremoval of the clip 200 from a T-shaped support post 20 will range fromabout 317.5 lbs (about 144 kgs) to about 434 lbs (about 197 kgs).

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 200 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 200 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 200 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 200 that are fedthrough the installation tool. In various such embodiments, theinstallation tool (not shown) includes a magazine that holds a pluralityof collated group of wire strand attachment clips 200 that are fedthrough the installation tool. The collated wire strand attachment clipsmay be collated in any suitable manner. FIG. 11A shows one way in whicha plurality of wire strand attachment clips 200 may be attached andcollated in a group such as a group for loading into a magazineattachable or attachable to an installation tool (not shown) such as apowered automatic installation tool (not shown). The example pluralityof wire strand attachment clips 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, 200 d, 200 e, 200f, and 200 g are positioned bottom side to top side and attached by aclip attachment member 290. In this illustrated example embodiment, theclip attachment member 290 is a section of a suitable tape such as anadhesive backed paper tape. In this illustrated example embodiment, theclip attachment member 290 is attached to the respective wire catchesand particularly the respective the rear wire engagers of the wirestrand attachment clips 200 a, 200 b, 200 c, 200 d, 200 e, 200 f, and200 g. It should be appreciated that: (1) the quantity of wire strandattachment clips in each group; (2) the quantity of clip attachmentmembers; and (3) the placement of the clip attachment members, may allvary in accordance with the present disclosure. It should also beappreciated that the configuration of the wire strand attachment clip200 provides a significant advantage over prior known wire strandattachment devices by providing the ability to be collated andspecifically the ability to be collated in a bottom side to top sidemanner for adjacent clips 200, and to facilitate attachment by one ormore clip attachment members to one or more directly adjacent sectionsof the adjacently positioned clips 200.

FIGS. 20, 21, 22, and 23 illustrate another example embodiment of a wirestrand attachment clip of the present disclosure generally indicated bynumeral 300 (and sometimes referred to herein as the “clip” forbrevity). This illustrated example wire strand attachment clip 300includes: (1) a wire catch 310; (2) a first attachment arm 340 connectedto and extending from the wire catch 310; and (3) a second attachmentarm 370 connected to and extending from the wire catch 310. Theillustrated example first attachment arm 340 includes: (1) a first armshoulder 341 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe wire catch 310; (2) a first upper arm 342 connected to and extendingoutwardly and rearwardly from the first arm shoulder 341; (3) a firstelbow 344 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe first upper arm 342; (4) a first forearm 348 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the first elbow 344; (5) a firstwrist 350 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thefirst forearm 348 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward the firstarm shoulder 341; and (6) a first post engagement hand 352 connected toand extending inwardly and rearwardly from first wrist 350 toward thefirst arm shoulder 341. The illustrated example second attachment arm370 includes: (1) a second arm shoulder 371 connected to and extendingoutwardly and rearwardly from the wire catch 310; (2) a second upper arm372 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the secondarm shoulder 371; (3) a second elbow 374 connected to and extendingoutwardly and then forwardly from the second upper arm 372; (4) a secondforearm 378 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thesecond elbow 374; (5) a second wrist 380 connected to and extendingoutwardly and forwardly from the second forearm 378 and then rearwardlyand inwardly back toward the second arm shoulder 371; and (6) a secondpost engagement hand 382 connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from the second wrist 380 toward the second arm shoulder 371.

In various embodiment, when the first attachment arm 340 and the secondattachment arm 370 are attached to the T-shaped support post, theyremain under a slight outward bias and remain outwardly biased duringsuch attachment (i.e., they have not returned to their naturalpositions). In alternative embodiments, when the first attachment arm340 and the second attachment arm 370 are attached to the T-shapedsupport post, they can return to their natural positions. In certainembodiments, this will depend on the angle at which the arms areattached to the post. The amount of the bias may depend on a combinationof the resiliency of the material used to form the clip 300 and therespective angles of the clip 300. In alternative embodiments, when thefirst attachment arm 340 and the second attachment arm 370 are attachedto the T-shaped support post, one or more of such arms are crimped intoa final attachment position. In such alternative embodiments, one ofsuch arms may be folded or bent into the attachment position.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 300 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 300 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 300 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 300 that are fedthrough the manual or automatic installation tool. In various suchembodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazine thatholds a plurality of collated group of wire strand attachment clips 300that are fed through the installation tool. The collated wire strandattachment clips may be collated in any suitable manner.

FIG. 23 shows one way in which a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips 300 may be attached and collated in a group such as a group forloading into a magazine attachable or attachable to an installation tool(not shown) such as a powered automatic installation tool (not shown).The example plurality of wire strand attachment clips 300 a, 300 b, 300c, 300 d, 310 e, 300 f, 300 g, 300 h, and 300 i are positioned bottomside to top side and attached by a clip attachment member 390. In thisillustrated example embodiment, the clip attachment member 390 is asection of a suitable tape such as an adhesive backed paper tape. Inthis illustrated example embodiment, the clip attachment member 390 isattached to the respective wire catches and particularly the respectivethe rear wire engagers of the wire strand attachment clips 300 a, 300 b,300 c, 300 d, 310 e, 300 f, 300 g, 300 h, and 300 i. It should beappreciated that: (1) the quantity of wire strand attachment clips ineach group; (2) the quantity of clip attachment members; and (3) theplacement of the clip attachment members, may all vary in accordancewith the present disclosure.

It should also be appreciated that the configuration of the wire strandattachment clip 300 provides a significant advantage over prior knownwire strand attachment devices by providing the ability to be collatedsuch as the ability to be collated in a bottom side to top side mannerfor adjacent clips 300. It should also be appreciated that theconfiguration of the wire strand attachment clip 300 facilitatesattachment by one or more clip attachment members to one or morerespective directly adjacent sections of the directly adjacentlypositioned clips 300. It should also be appreciated that the relativelyshort height of the wire strand attachment clip 300 also facilitatesthis collation. It should also be appreciated that the flat top and flatbottom surfaces of the wire strand attachment clip 300 also facilitatesthis collation.

FIGS. 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 illustrate another example embodiment of awire strand attachment clip of the present disclosure generallyindicated by numeral 400 (and sometimes referred to herein as the “clip”for brevity). The illustrated example wire strand attachment clip 400includes: (1) a wire catch 410; (2) a first attachment arm 440 connectedto and extending from the wire catch 410; and (3) a second attachmentarm 470 connected to and extending from the wire catch 410. Generally,the wire catch 410, the first attachment arm 440, and the secondattachment arm 470 are dimensionally and biasingly configured to snaponto a T-shaped support post to attach a wire strand to that T-shapedsupport post, and particularly such that the wire catch 410 and/or theattachments arms 440 and 470 engage(s) spaced apart rear or sidesurfaces of the T-shaped support post, such that the first and secondattachment arms 440 and 470 engage spaced apart front surfaces of theT-shaped support post, and such that the wire catch 410 can engage andhold the wire strand to the T-shaped support post. This illustratedexample wire strand attachment clip 400 is similar to the wire strandattachment clip 100, except certain of the straight sections of clip 400are formed as curved sections, certain of the sections of the clip 400are longer, and certain of the angles have changed or been added. Sincethis illustrated example wire strand attachment clip 400 is similar tothe wire strand attachment clip 100, only certain aspects and componentsof this clip 400 are described in this section for brevity. Thefeatures, functions, and alternatives described above regarding clip 100thus also apply to this clip 400. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the wire strand attachment clip 400 is formed (andparticularly bent) into its shape from a solid straight cylindricalmetal (and particularly steel) wire having about a 0.124 inch to about a0.138 inch (about a 3.15 mm to about a 3.5 mm) outer diameter and asuitable length. It should be appreciated that the wire strandattachment clip 400 can be formed from other suitable materials andformed from other wires having other suitable outer diameters andlengths. The wire strand attachment clip 400 is formed such that thewire catch 410, the first attachment arm 440, and the second attachmentarm 470 each have a desired amount of flexibility or bendabilityrelative to each other, and a reasonably strong bias back toward theirrespective original positions relative to one another, as furtherdescribed below.

More specifically, the illustrated example wire catch 410 includes: (1)a rear wire engager 414; (2) a first connector 416 connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a first end of the rear wireengager 414; (3) a first side wire engager 418 connected to andextending forwardly from the first connector 416 and from the first endof the rear wire engager 414; (4) a second connector 420 connected toand extending forwardly and outwardly from a second end of the rear wireengager 414; (5) a second side wire engager 422 connected to andextending forwardly from the second connector 420 and the second end ofthe rear wire engager 414; (6) a combination third connector and firstpost engager 424 connected to and extending forwardly and outwardly (andthen inwardly and rearwardly) from a front end of the first side wireengager 418; and (7) a combination fourth connector and second postengager 428 connected to and extending forwardly and outwardly (and theninwardly and rearwardly) from a front end of the second side wireengager 422. The rear wire engager 414, the first connector 416, thefirst side wire engager 418, the second connector 420, the second sidewire engager 422, the third connector 424, and the fourth connector 428define a wire strand receiving and holding area 412 that receives thewire strand and also allows for certain movements of the wire strand inthe wire strand receiving and holding area 412. In this illustratedexample embodiment, angles labeled A1 and A2 are each about 97 degrees,and angles labeled B1 and B2 are each about 18 degrees; although theseangles may vary in accordance with the present disclosure. When the wirecatch 410, the first attachment arm 440, and the second attachment arm470 are snapped onto a T-shaped support post to attach a wire strand tothat T-shaped support post, the combination connector and first sidepost engager 424 and the combination connector and second side postengager 428 are configured to, in certain instances, securely engagespaced apart rear surfaces of the T-shaped support post to provide asecure attachment of the wire strand attachment clip 400 to the T-shapedsupport post and to prevent the wire strand from exiting the wire strandreceiving and holding area 412.

The illustrated example first attachment arm 440 includes: (1) a firstupper arm 442 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe combination third connector and first post engager; (2) a firstelbow 444 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe first upper arm 442; (3) a first forearm 448 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the first elbow 444; (4) a firstwrist 450 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thefirst forearm 448 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward the rearwire engager 414; and (5) a first post engagement hand 452 connected toand extending inwardly and rearwardly from first wrist 450 toward therear wire engager 414. In this illustrated example embodiment, the firstforearm 448 includes a first straight section 448 a connected to asecond straight section 448 b by a third curved section 448 c.

The illustrated example second attachment arm 470 includes: (1) a secondupper arm 472 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly fromthe combination connector and second side post engager 428; (2) a secondelbow 474 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe second upper arm 472; (3) a second forearm 478 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the second elbow 474; (4) asecond wrist 480 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly fromthe second forearm 478 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward therear wire engager 414; and (5) a second post engagement hand 482connected to and extending inwardly and rearwardly from second wrist 480toward the rear wire engager 414. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the second forearm 478 includes a first straight section 478a connected to a second straight section 478 b by a third curved section478 c. In this illustrated example embodiment, angles labeled C1 and C2and are each about 136 degrees and angles labeled D1 and D2 and are eachabout 180 degrees, although these angles may vary in accordance with thepresent disclosure.

When the wire catch 410, the first attachment arm 440, and the secondattachment arm 470 are snapped onto a T-shaped support post to attach awire strand to that T-shaped support post, the first arm shoulder 441,the first post engagement hand 452, the first arm shoulder 471, and thesecond post engagement hand 482 are configured to securely engage spacedapart front surfaces of the T-shaped support post to provide a secureattachment of the wire strand attachment clip 400 to the T-shapedsupport post and to prevent the wire strand from exiting the wire strandreceiving and holding area 412. In this example embodiment, it isestimated that the energy level needed for attaching the clip 400 to aT-shaped support post will be about 6.68 Joules. This energy level willenable manual attachment or attachment using a suitable tool asdescribed below. In this example embodiment, it is estimated that theforce level needed for removal of the clip 400 from a T-shaped supportpost 20 will be about 278 lbs (about 127 kgs).

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 400 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 400 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 400 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 400 that are fedthrough the manual or automatic installation tool. In various suchembodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazine thatholds a plurality of collated group of wire strand attachment clips 400that are fed through the installation tool. The collated wire strandattachment clips may be collated in any suitable manner.

FIG. 28 shows one way in which a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips 400 may be attached and collated in a group such as a group forloading into a magazine attachable or attachable to an installation tool(not shown) such as a powered automatic installation tool (not shown).The example plurality of wire strand attachment clips 400 a, 400 b, 400c, 400 d, 400 e, 400 f, and 400 g are positioned bottom side to top sideand attached by a plurality of clip attachment member 490. In thisillustrated example embodiment, the clip attachment member 490 is asection of a suitable tape such as an adhesive backed paper tape. Inthis illustrated example embodiment, the clip attachment member 490 isattached to the respective wire catches and particularly the respectivethe rear wire engagers of the wire strand attachment clips 400 a, 400 b,400 c, 400 d, 400 e, 400 f, and 400 g. It should be appreciated that:(1) the quantity of wire strand attachment clips in each group; (2) thequantity of clip attachment members; and (3) the placement of the clipattachment members, may all vary in accordance with the presentdisclosure. It should also be appreciated that the configuration of thewire strand attachment clip 400 provides a significant advantage overprior known wire strand attachment devices by providing the ability tobe collated such as the ability to be collated in a bottom side to topside manner for adjacent clips 400. It should also be appreciated thatthe configuration of the wire strand attachment clip 400 facilitatesattachment by one or more clip attachment members to one or morerespective directly adjacent sections of the directly adjacentlypositioned clips 400. It should also be appreciated that the relativelyshort height of the wire strand attachment clip 100 also facilitatesthis collations.

FIGS. 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 illustrate another example embodiment of awire strand attachment clip of the present disclosure generallyindicated by numeral 500 (and sometimes referred to herein as the “clip”for brevity). The illustrated example wire strand attachment clip 500includes: (1) a wire catch 510; (2) a first attachment arm 540 connectedto and extending from the wire catch 510; and (3) a second attachmentarm 570 connected to and extending from the wire catch 510. Generally,the wire catch 510, the first attachment arm 540, and the secondattachment arm 570 are dimensionally and biasingly configured to snaponto a T-shaped support post to attach a wire strand to that T-shapedsupport post, and particularly such that the wire catch 510 and/or theattachments arms 540 and 570 engage(s) spaced apart rear or sidesurfaces of the T-shaped support post, such that the first and secondattachment arms 540 and 570 engage spaced apart front surfaces of theT-shaped support post, and such that the wire catch 510 can engage andhold the wire strand to the T-shaped support post. This illustratedexample wire strand attachment clip 500 is somewhat similar in functionto the wire strand attachment clip 100. Since this illustrated examplewire strand attachment clip 500 is somewhat similar to the wire strandattachment clip 100, only certain aspects and components of this clip500 are described in this section for brevity. The features, functions,and alternatives described above regarding clip 100 thus also apply tothis clip 500. In this illustrated example embodiment, the wire strandattachment clip 500 is formed (and particularly bent) into its shapefrom a solid straight cylindrical metal (and particularly steel) wirehaving about a 0.124 inch to about a 0.138 inch (about a 3.15 mm toabout a 3.5 mm) outer diameter and a suitable length. It should beappreciated that the wire strand attachment clip 500 can be formed fromother suitable materials and formed from other wires having othersuitable outer diameters and lengths. The wire strand attachment clip500 is formed such that the wire catch 510, the first attachment arm540, and the second attachment arm 570 each have a desired amount offlexibility or bendability relative to each other, and a reasonablystrong bias back toward their respective original positions relative toone another, as further described below.

More specifically, the illustrated example wire catch 510 includes: (1)a rear wire engager 514; (2) a first connector 516 connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a first end of the rear wireengager 514; (3) a first side wire engager 518 connected to andextending forwardly from the first connector 516 and from the first endof the rear wire engager 514; (4) a second connector 520 connected toand extending forwardly and outwardly from a second end of the rear wireengager 514; (5) a second side wire engager 522 connected to andextending forwardly from the second connector 520 and the second end ofthe rear wire engager 514; (6) a combination third connector and firstpost engager 524 connected to and extending forwardly and outwardly froma front end of the first side wire engager 518; and (7) a combinationfourth connector and second post engager 528 connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a front end of the second side wire engager522. The rear wire engager 514, the first connector 516, the first sidewire engager 518, the second connector 520, and the second side wireengager 522 define a wire strand receiving and holding area 512 thatreceives the wire strand and also allows for certain movements of thewire strand in the wire strand receiving and holding area 512. In thisillustrated example embodiment, the rear wire engager 514 include a loopwith two forward surfaces (not labeled) configured to engage the wirestrand. In this illustrated example embodiment, angles labeled A1 and A2are each about 120 degrees and angles labeled B1 and B2 are each about120 degrees, although these angles may vary in accordance with thepresent disclosure. When the wire catch 510, the first attachment arm540, and the second attachment arm 570 are snapped onto a T-shapedsupport post to attach a wire strand to that T-shaped support post, thecombination connector and first side post engager 524 and thecombination connector and second side post engager 528 are configuredto, in certain instances, securely engage spaced apart rear surfaces ofthe T-shaped support post to provide a secure attachment of the wirestrand attachment clip 500 to the T-shaped support post and to preventthe wire strand from exiting the wire strand receiving and holding area512.

The illustrated example first attachment arm 540 includes: (1) a firstelbow 544 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe combination third connector and first post engager 524; (2) a firstforearm 548 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thefirst elbow 544; (3) a first wrist 350 connected to and extendingoutwardly and forwardly from the first forearm 548 and then rearwardlyand inwardly back toward the combination third connector and first postengager 524; and (4) a first post engagement hand 552 connected to andextending inwardly and rearwardly from first wrist 550 toward thecombination third connector and first post engager 524. The illustratedexample second attachment arm 570 includes: (1) a second elbow 574connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly from thecombination fourth connector and second post engager 528; (2) a secondforearm 578 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thesecond elbow 574; (3) a second wrist 580 connected to and extendingoutwardly and forwardly from the second forearm 578 and then rearwardlyand inwardly back toward the combination fourth connector and secondpost engager 528; and (4) a second post engagement hand 582 connected toand extending inwardly and rearwardly from second wrist 580 toward thecombination fourth connector and second post engager 528. In thisillustrated example embodiment, angles labeled C1 and C2 and are eachabout 126 degrees and angles labeled D1 and D2 and are each about 25degrees, although these angles may vary in accordance with the presentdisclosure. When the wire catch 510, the first attachment arm 540, andthe second attachment arm 570 are snapped onto a T-shaped support postto attach a wire strand to that T-shaped support post, the first postengagement hand 552 and the second post engagement hand 582 areconfigured to securely engage spaced apart front surfaces of theT-shaped support post to provide a secure attachment of the wire strandattachment clip 500 to the T-shaped support post and to prevent the wirestrand from exiting the wire strand receiving and holding area 512. Inthis example embodiment, it is estimated that the energy level neededfor attaching the clip 500 to a T-shaped support post will be about 3.11Joules. This energy level will enable manual attachment or attachmentusing a suitable tool as described below. In this example embodiment, itis estimated that the force level needed for removal of the clip 500from a T-shaped support post will be about 489 lbs (about 222 kgs).

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 500 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 500 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 500 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 500 that are fedthrough the manual or automatic installation tool. In various suchembodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazine thatholds a plurality of collated group of wire strand attachment clips 500that are fed through the installation tool. The collated wire strandattachment clips may be collated in any suitable manner.

FIG. 33 shows one way in which a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips 100 may be attached and collated in a group such as a group forloading into a magazine attachable or attachable to an installation tool(not shown) such as a powered automatic installation tool (not shown).The example plurality of wire strand attachment clips 500 a, 500 b, 500c, 500 d, 500 e, and 500 f are positioned bottom side to top side andattached by a clip attachment member 590. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the clip attachment member 590 is a section of a suitabletape such as an adhesive backed paper tape. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the clip attachment member 590 is attached to the respectivewire catches and particularly the respective the rear wire engagers ofthe wire strand attachment clips 500 a, 500 b, 500 c, 500 d, 500 e, and500 f. It should be appreciated that: (1) the quantity of wire strandattachment clips in each group; (2) the quantity of clip attachmentmembers; and (3) the placement of the clip attachment members, may allvary in accordance with the present disclosure. It should also beappreciated that the configuration of the wire strand attachment clip500 provides a significant advantage over prior known wire strandattachment devices by providing the ability to be collated such as theability to be collated in a bottom side to top side manner for adjacentclips 500. It should also be appreciated that the configuration of thewire strand attachment clip 500 facilitates attachment by one or moreclip attachment members to one or more respective directly adjacentsections of the directly adjacently positioned clips 500. It should alsobe appreciated that the relatively short height of the wire strandattachment clip 100 also facilitates this collations.

FIGS. 34 and 35 illustrate another example embodiment of a wire strandattachment clip of the present disclosure generally indicated by numeral600 (and sometimes referred to herein as the “clip” for brevity). Thisillustrated example wire strand attachment clip 600 includes: (1) a wirecatch 610; (2) a first attachment arm 640 connected to and extendingfrom the wire catch 610; and (3) a second attachment arm 670 connectedto and extending from the wire catch 610. Generally, the wire catch 610,the first attachment arm 640, and the second attachment arm 670 aredimensionally and biasingly configured to snap onto a T-shaped supportpost to attach a wire strand to that T-shaped support post, andparticularly such that the wire catch 610 and/or the attachments arms640 and 670 engage(s) spaced apart rear or side surfaces of the T-shapedsupport post, such that the first and second attachment arms 640 and 670engage spaced apart front surfaces of the T-shaped support post, andsuch that the wire catch 610 can engage and hold the wire strand to theT-shaped support post. This illustrated example wire strand attachmentclip 600 is similar to the wire strand attachment clip 100, except thatinstead of being formed from a cylindrical wire, the wire strandattachment clip 600 is formed from a substantially rectangular orrectangular wire (such as a substantially square or square wire) andthus has flat top, flat bottom, flat front, and flat rear surfaces. Thisalternative configuration facilitates enhanced collation of thesemultiple wire strand attachment clips 600 such as clips 600 a, 600 b,600 c, 600 d, 600 e, 600 f, and 600 g as shown in FIG. 35. Since thisillustrated example wire strand attachment clip 600 is similar to thewire strand attachment clip 100, only certain aspects and components ofthis clip 600 are described in this section for brevity. The features,functions, and alternatives described above regarding clip 100 thus alsoapply to this clip 600. In this illustrated example embodiment, the wirestrand attachment clip 600 is formed (and particularly bent) into itsshape from a solid straight substantially square metal (and particularlysteel) wire having about a 11/16 inch to about a 2⅙ inch (about a 16 mmto about a 52 mm) height and width and a suitable length. It should beappreciated that the wire strand attachment clip 600 can be formed fromother suitable materials and formed from other wires having othersuitable outer diameters and lengths. The wire strand attachment clip600 is formed such that the wire catch 610, the first attachment arm640, and the second attachment arm 670 each have a desired amount offlexibility or bendability relative to each other, and a reasonablystrong bias back toward their respective original positions relative toone another, as further described below.

Similar to the wire strand attachment clip 100, the wire strandattachment clip 600 includes a wire catch 610 including: (1) a rear wireengager 614; (2) a first connector 616 connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a first end of the rear wire engager 614;(3) a first side wire engager 618 connected to and extending forwardlyfrom the first connector 616 and from the first end of the rear wireengager 614; (4) a second connector 620 connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a second end of the rear wire engager 614;(5) a second side wire engager 622 connected to and extending forwardlyfrom the second connector 620 and the second end of the rear wireengager 614; (6) a third connector 624 connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a front end of the first side wire engager618; (7) a first side post engager 626 connected to and extendingoutwardly from the third connector 624 and from the front end of thefirst side wire engager 618; (8) a fourth connector 628 connected to andextending forwardly and outwardly from a front end of the second sidewire engager 622; and (9) a second side post engager 630 connected toand extending outwardly from the fourth connector 628 and from the frontend of the second side wire engager 622. The rear wire engager 614, thefirst connector 616, the first side wire engager 618, the secondconnector 620, the second side wire engager 622, the third connector624, and the fourth connector 628 define a wire strand receiving andholding area 612 that receives the wire strand and also allows forcertain movement of the wire strand in the wire strand receiving andholding area 612. When the wire catch 610, the first attachment arm 640,and the second attachment arm 670 are snapped onto a T-shaped supportpost to attach a wire strand to that T-shaped support post, the firstside post engager 626 and the second side post engager 630 areconfigured to, in certain instances, securely engage spaced apart rearsurfaces of the T-shaped support post to provide a secure attachment ofthe wire strand attachment clip 600 to the T-shaped support post and toprevent the wire strand from exiting the wire strand receiving andholding area 612. Similar to the wire strand attachment clip 100, theillustrated example first attachment arm 640 of clip 600 includes: (1) afirst arm shoulder 641 connected to and extending outwardly andrearwardly from the first side post engager 626; (2) a first upper arm642 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the firstarm shoulder 641 and from the first side post engager 626; (3) a firstelbow 644 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe first upper arm 642; (4) a first forearm 648 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the first elbow 644; (5) a firstwrist 650 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from thefirst forearm 648 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward the firstarm shoulder 641 and the rear wire engager 614; and (6) a first postengagement hand 652 connected to and extending inwardly and rearwardlyfrom first wrist 650 toward the first arm shoulder 641 and the rear wireengager 614. Similar to the wire strand attachment clip 100, theillustrated example second attachment arm 670 of clip 600 includes: (1)a second arm shoulder 671 connected to and extending outwardly andrearwardly from the second side post engager 630; (2) a second upper arm672 connected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the secondarm shoulder 671 and from the second side post engager 630; (3) a secondelbow 674 connected to and extending outwardly and then forwardly fromthe second upper arm 672; (4) a second forearm 678 connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the second elbow 674; (5) asecond wrist 680 connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly fromthe second forearm 678 and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward thesecond arm shoulder 671 and the rear wire engager 614; and (6) a secondpost engagement hand 682 connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from second wrist 680 toward the second arm shoulder 671 andthe rear wire engager 614. In this example embodiment, it is estimatedthat the energy level needed for attaching the clip 600 to a T-shapedsupport post 20 will be about 8.68 Joules. This energy level will enablemanual attachment or attachment using a suitable tool as describedbelow. In this example embodiment, it is estimated that the force levelneeded for removal of the clip 600 from a T-shaped support post 20 willbe about 364 lbs (about 165 kgs).

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation ofthe wire strand attachment clip 600 can be performed manually withoutthe need for any installation tool such as by an installer using one ormore of the installer's hands. In various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, this installation of the wire strand attachment clip 600 canbe performed manually with an installation tool (not shown) such as byan installer using one or more hands with the installation tool. Invarious embodiments of the present disclosure, this installation of thewire strand attachment clip 600 can be performed automatically by anautomatic installation tool (not shown) such as by an installer usingone or more hands holding an automatic installation tool. In varioussuch embodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazinethat holds a plurality of wire strand attachment clips 600 that are fedthrough the manual or automatic installation tool. In various suchembodiments, the installation tool (not shown) includes a magazine thatholds a plurality of collated group of wire strand attachment clips 600that are fed through the installation tool. The collated wire strandattachment clips may be collated in any suitable manner.

FIG. 35 shows one way in which a plurality of wire strand attachmentclips 600 may be attached and collated in a group such as a group forloading into a magazine attachable or attachable to an installation tool(not shown) such as a powered automatic installation tool (not shown).The example plurality of wire strand attachment clips 600 a, 600 b, 600c, 600 d, 600 e, 600 f, and 600 g are positioned bottom side to top sideand attached by an attachment member 690. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the clip attachment member 690 is a section of a suitabletape such as an adhesive backed paper tape. In this illustrated exampleembodiment, the clip attachment member 690 is attached to the respectivewire catches and particularly the respective the rear wire engagers ofthe wire strand attachment clips 600 a, 600 b, 600 c, 600 d, 600 e, 600f, and 600 g. It should be appreciated that: (1) the quantity of wirestrand attachment clips in each group; (2) the quantity of clipattachment members; and (3) the placement of the clip attachmentmembers, may all vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

It should also be appreciated that the configuration of the wire strandattachment clip 600 provides a significant advantage over prior knownwire strand attachment devices by providing the ability to be collatedsuch as the ability to be collated in a bottom side to top side mannerfor adjacent clips 600. It should also be appreciated that theconfiguration of the wire strand attachment clip 600 facilitatesattachment by one or more clip attachment members to one or morerespective directly adjacent sections of the directly adjacentlypositioned clips 600. It should also be appreciated that the relativelyshort height of the wire strand attachment clip 600 also facilitatesthis collation. It should also be appreciated that the flat top and flatbottom surfaces of the wire strand attachment clip 100 also facilitatesthis collation.

It should be appreciated that for each of the above describedembodiments of the wire strand attachment clip of the presentdisclosure, the combinations of bends in the shape of the wire strandattachment clip provide the desired amount of flexibility. It shouldalso be appreciated that combination of bends enable the clip tofunction as a spring attaching the wire strand and the support post,while still allowing for certain movements of the wire strand relativeto the support post (such as when an animal engages the wire stand). Itshould further be appreciated that the quantity, angles, and positionsof the bends may vary in accordance with the present disclosure. Itshould be appreciated that for each of the above described embodimentsof the wire strand attachment clip of the present disclosure, the shapeof the wire strand attachment clip does not need to be changed forplacement of that wire strand attachment clip on a T-shaped supportpost. For example, none of the attachment arms need to be bent duringthe attachment process. In other word, the attachment arms and/or thewire catch are flexed outwardly, but not bent into a different shape(such as in various known wire strand attachment devices). This enablesa more simplified attachment including simplified attachment by a manualor automatic operated tool. In other words, by not having to make one ormore additional bends during installation, the tool does not have toundertake any bend steps. It should be appreciated that while certain ofthe example wire strand attachment clips of the present disclosure areformed from rectangular members and thus have flat top and flat bottomsurfaces, that various other embodiments of the wire strand attachmentclips of the present disclosure may be formed with flat top and/or flatbottom surfaces to facilitate collation. It should be appreciated thateach collated group of wire stand attachment clips may be considered ana wire strand attachment clip assembly or stack in accordance with thepresent disclosure. It should be appreciated that while a T-shapedsupport post is employed as an example in this disclosure, various clipsof the present disclosure may be employed with other support posts suchas Y-shaped support post.

FIG. 36 illustrates another example embodiment of a wire strandattachment clip of the present disclosure generally indicated by numeral800 (and sometimes referred to herein as the “clip” for brevity). Theillustrated example wire strand attachment clip 800 includes: (1) a wirecatch 810; (2) a first attachment arm 840 connected to and extendingfrom the wire catch 810; and (3) a second attachment arm 870 connectedto and extending from the wire catch 810. Generally, the wire catch 810,the first attachment arm 840, and the second attachment arm 870 aredimensionally and biasingly configured to snap onto a T-shaped supportpost to attach a wire strand to that T-shaped support post, andparticularly such that the wire catch 810 and/or the attachments arms840 and 870 engage respective surfaces of the T-shaped support post, andsuch that the wire catch 810 can engage and hold the wire strand to theT-shaped support post. This illustrated example wire strand attachmentclip 800 is similar to the wire strand attachment clip 400, except thatrespective parts of the first attachment arm 840 and the secondattachment arm 870 extend rearwardly relative to the rear wire engager814 of the wire catch 810. In other words, the rear wire engager 814 iscloser to the T-shaped support post when mounted on such post. Thisalternative causes the clip 800 to engage the wire with more forceand/or to be tighter on the wire.

It should be appreciated from the above that while various embodimentsof the wire strand attachment clip of the present disclosure areconfigured to be snapped onto the T-shaped post, other embodiments areconfigured to be otherwise positioned on the T-shaped post such as bybending one or more of the arms or parts thereof.

It should be appreciated that the size, length, and/or thickness of eachof the above clips may vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

Various changes and modifications to the present embodiments describedherein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes andmodifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present subject matter and without diminishing its intendedadvantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modificationsbe covered by the appended claims.

The claims are as follows:
 1. A wire strand attachment clip comprising:a wire catch that defines a wire strand receiving and holding areaconfigured to receive a wire strand; a first attachment arm connected toand extending from the wire catch; and a second attachment arm connectedto and extending from the wire catch, wherein the wire catch, the firstattachment arm, and the second attachment arm are dimensionally andbiasingly configured to snap onto a T-shaped support post to attach thewire strand to that T-shaped support post such that the first attachmentarm and the second attachment arm each engage front and rear surfaces ofthe T-shaped support post.
 2. The wire strand attachment clip of claim1, which is formed from a solid cylindrical metal wire.
 3. The wirestrand attachment clip of claim 1, which is formed from a solidrectangular metal wire.
 4. The wire strand attachment clip of claim 1,wherein the wire catch includes a rear wire engager, a first side wireengager connected to and extending forwardly from a first end of therear wire engager, a second side wire engager connected to and extendingforwardly from a second end of the rear wire engager, a first side postengager connected to and extending outwardly from the first side wireengager, and a second side post engager connected to and extendingoutwardly from the second side wire engager.
 5. The wire strandattachment clip of claim 1, wherein the wire catch includes a rear wireengager, a first connector connected to and extending forwardly andoutwardly from a first end of the rear wire engager, a first side wireengager connected to and extending forwardly from the first connectorand from the first end of the rear wire engager, a second connectorconnected to and extending forwardly and outwardly from a second end ofthe rear wire engager, a second side wire engager connected to andextending forwardly from the second connector and the second end of therear wire engager, a third connector connected to and extendingforwardly and outwardly from a front end of the first side wire engager,a first side post engager connected to and extending outwardly from thethird connector and from the front end of the first side wire engager, afourth connector connected to and extending forwardly and outwardly froma front end of the second side wire engager, and a second side postengager connected to and extending outwardly from the fourth connectorand from the front end of the second side wire engager.
 6. The wirestrand attachment clip of claim 5, wherein the first connector, thesecond connector, the third connector, and the fourth connector are eachcurved sections.
 7. The wire strand attachment clip of claim 6, whereinthe rear wire engager, the first side wire engager, the second side wireengager, the first side post engager, and the second side post engagerare each straight sections.
 8. The wire strand attachment clip of claim4, wherein the first attachment arm includes a first arm shoulderconnected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the first sidepost engager, a first upper arm connected to and extending outwardly andrearwardly from the first arm shoulder and from the first side postengager, a first elbow connected to and extending outwardly and thenforwardly from the first upper arm, a first forearm connected to andextending outwardly and forwardly from the first elbow, a first wristconnected to and extending outwardly and forwardly from the firstforearm and then rearwardly and inwardly back toward the first armshoulder and the rear wire engager, and a first post engagement handconnected to and extending inwardly and rearwardly from first wristtoward the first arm shoulder and the rear wire engager.
 9. The wirestrand attachment clip of claim 8, wherein the second attachment armincludes a second arm shoulder connected to and extending outwardly andrearwardly from the second side post engager, a second upper armconnected to and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the second armshoulder and from the second side post engager, a second elbow connectedto and extending outwardly and then forwardly from the second upper arm,a second forearm connected to and extending outwardly and forwardly fromthe second elbow, a second wrist connected to and extending outwardlyand forwardly from the second forearm and then rearwardly and inwardlyback toward the second arm shoulder and the rear wire engager, and asecond post engagement hand connected to and extending inwardly andrearwardly from second wrist toward the second arm shoulder and the rearwire engager.
 10. The wire strand attachment clip of claim 9, whereinthe first arm shoulder, the first elbow, the first wrist, the second armshoulder, the second elbow, and the second wrist are each formed ascurved sections.
 11. The wire strand attachment clip of claim 10,wherein the first upper arm, the first forearm, the first postengagement hand, the second upper arm, the second forearm, and thesecond post engagement hand are each straight sections.
 12. A collatedgroup of wire strand attachment clips comprising: a plurality of wirestrand attachment clips each including: a wire catch that defines a wirestrand receiving and holding area configured to receive a wire strand, afirst attachment arm connected to and extending from the wire catch, anda second attachment arm connected to and extending from the wire catch,wherein the wire catch, the first attachment arm, and the secondattachment arm are dimensionally and biasingly configured to snap onto aT-shaped support post to attach the wire strand to that T-shaped supportpost such that the first attachment arm and the second attachment armeach engage front and rear surfaces of the T-shaped support post; and atleast one clip attachment member secured to each of the plurality ofwire strand attachment clips.
 13. The collated group of wire strandattachment clips of claim 12, wherein each of the wire strand attachmentclips is formed from a solid cylindrical metal wire.
 14. The collatedgroup of wire strand attachment clips of claim 12, wherein each of thewire strand attachment clips is formed from a rectangular metal wire.15. The collated group of wire strand attachment clips of claim 12,wherein the at least one clip attachment member includes a first clipattachment member secured to the wire catch of each wire strandattachment clip.
 16. The collated group of wire strand attachment clipsof claim 12, wherein the at least one clip attachment member includes afirst clip attachment member secured to the wire catch of each wirestrand attachment clip, a second clip attachment member secured to thefirst arm of each wire strand attachment clip, and a third clipattachment member secured to the second arm of each wire strandattachment clip.
 17. The collated group of wire strand attachment clipsof claim 12, wherein the each wire strand attachment clip has a topsurface and a bottom surface, and wherein part of the top surface of oneof the wire strand attachment clips is positioned adjacent to part ofthe bottom surface of another one of the wire strand attachment clips.18. The collated group of wire strand attachment clips of claim 12,wherein all of the top surface of one of the wire strand attachmentclips is positioned adjacent to all of the bottom surface of another oneof the wire strand attachment clips.
 19. The collated group of wirestrand attachment clips of claim 12, wherein all of the top surfaces allof the wire strand attachment clips are flat and all of the bottomsurfaces of all of the wire strand attachment clips are flat.